Critical Response

When crisis happens, we're here to help.

Critical Response is the staff team at each campus that is responsible for meeting with walk-ins, conducting hospital visits, coordinating funeral services, and handling various other miscellaneous pastoral responsibilities.

The success of the Critical Response team is dependent on having staff that are passionately dedicated to serving people during times of crisis. It is not dependent on having a program in place that will meet every need that arises. While it is difficult to predict when crisis events will occur, there are things you can do to proactively plan for the way you will respond to some circumstances.

Walk-Ins

Hospital Visits

Funeral Services

Miscellaneous Pastoral Responsibilities

Walk-Ins

A walk-in is anyone who comes to the church without an appointment and is seeking help. It might be a church attendee or someone from the community. The person may want to talk through a spiritual issue or he or she may be seeking financial assistance. We strive to have a network of resources to which we can refer people based on their specific needs and requests. The goal for a walk-in is to give the person a next step. The next step may include a ministry at an NPM church or it may be a referral to a community resource.

It is helpful to track the types of requests you receive so you can develop proactive plans for the types you see most often. An effective approach is to create a Google form to capture key information and run reports on the data you collect.

Resources

Hospital Visits

Requests for hospital visits often come from church attendees for themselves or family members. Visits are made either by church staff or trained volunteers. While our goal is for church attendees to be cared for by their small groups, the Critical Response team will often respond and offer support to those who are not involved in a small group.

Resource

Funeral Services

Funeral services at NPM churches seek to provide hope, give direction, and encourage community for grieving family and friends. Each service is unique. The Critical Response team meets with each family and then coordinates with facilities, musicians, audio/visual technicians, officiates, and funeral homes to make the services the best they can be for each family.

Resources

Miscellaneous Pastoral Responsibilities

The Critical Response staff helps in various other situations. These can vary greatly. The situation might involve helping another staff person navigate a difficult circumstance with a volunteer. It may be training other staff how to officiate a funeral. It can even be working with a partner organization to help someone transition out of a program and into the life of an NPM church. Regardless of the situation, the key element is having a passion for helping people grow closer to Christ through difficult life circumstances.

It is helpful to track the types of requests you receive so you can develop proactive plans for the ones you see most often. An effective approach is to use a Google form or Google doc to capture key information and run reports on the data you collect.